Festival gives youngsters a true sporting chance

There's some sun on the horizon after the doom and gloom of last week's (hopefully) final blast of winter woes.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Mar 2018, 07:00 BST
The festival offers a rich assortment of opportunity (picture by Graham Clark).The festival offers a rich assortment of opportunity (picture by Graham Clark).
The festival offers a rich assortment of opportunity (picture by Graham Clark).

The annual Para Sport Festival 2018 is almost here, welcoming young people from Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Scottish Borders with a physical or sensory impairment and providing them with an opportunity to try a range of Para Sports, delivered by some of the best clubs and coaches across the country. 

This year’s festival is on Friday, March 23, at Forrester/St Augustine’s High School, Edinburgh, and promises to be another great occasion for everyone involved, reports Fraser McGowan.

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This 2018 event will take a slightly different format to previous years, offering an opportunity for young people with a physical impairment to try swimming, tennis, triathlon and wheelchair basketball during the morning. 

The afternoon session will welcome children with sensory impairments to try athletics, goalball, judo and swimming.

Powerchair users are also encouraged and welcome to attend the event and sports such as athletics, boccia and powerchair football will be available for individuals to try on the day. 

The timings of these sessions are yet to be confirmed owing to hall availability, but all participants using a powerchair will be informed as soon as possible.

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The event, previously named the Paralympic Experience Event, is entering its seventh year and is a fantastic opportunity for primary and secondary-aged young people to experience some of the sports that are successfully showcased at major events such as the Paralympic Games. 

The activities selected reflect the strong club structure in the region and will aim to ignite the transition from the event to more regular sporting activity with one or more of the session’s being delivered.

The festival is a partnership event between Scottish Disability Sport, Edinburgh Active Schools, Lothian Disability Sport and Edinburgh Leisure, who work with local club coaches to offer sessions to the children and young people. The event will also be supported by Celtic Community Foundation.

An entry pack can be accessed via www.scottishdisabilitysport.com

Related topics:EdinburghLothiansScottish BordersSchools